


Love in a Jar

by hazelNuts



Series: Prompt Fics [5]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Misunderstanding, Pining, human!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 10:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2729672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>anonymous asked, "neighbors who only meet because “i cannot get this stupid jar open, can you help?” au"</p>
<p>‘I’m sorry. What?’ he asks the guy standing in front of him. He’s pretty sure it’s one of his neighbours. He’s not as sure as to whether he heard the guy correctly the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love in a Jar

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.  
> Originally posted on [letswritesterek](http://letswritesterek.tumblr.com/).

Derek can honestly say this has never happened to him before.

‘I’m sorry. What?’ he asks the guy standing in front of him. He’s pretty sure it’s one of his neighbours. He’s not as sure as to whether he heard the guy correctly the first time. He can’t be blamed, though. The guy is cute, with a very distracting mouth. And that t-shirt is probably a little tighter around the shoulders than it’s supposed to be.

‘ I cannot get this stupid jar open. Can you help?’ the guy-who-is-maybe-his-neighbour repeats.

Derek grabs the jar held in front of him. He screws of the lid and gives it back.

‘Thanks,’ maybe-his-neighbour says and then turns around and walks away. He looks a little flustered. He’s probably just embarrassed, Derek thinks.

The door of the apartment next to him slams shut. The cute guy is definitely-his-neighbour.

~

‘Oh my god,’ Stiles whispers, leaning against the front door. ‘Scott! Scott where are you?’

‘I’m in the same place I was when you left. Two minutes ago.’

Stiles races to the living room. He stumbles over the rug and Scott barely saves him from spilling pasta sauce all over it.

‘Dude, what’s wrong? Did he, like, try something?’

‘I wish. The guy is build, Scott. I mean literally. There is no way he’s not manmade,’ Stiles explains a little hysterically.

‘All people are manmade, Stiles,’ Scott says with a smirk.

‘Ha. Ha. No, but seriously, only people in magazines look like that. And his face it’s just- It’s so-,’ he’s not entirely sure how to go on, ‘he has a face that no words can describe.’

He drops on the couch, staring of in to space, remembering how hot-neighbour’s forearms had flexed when he’d opened the jar.

‘I’ll cook tonight,’ Scott says and grabs the jar with pasta sauce.

‘What, no. I said that I’d do it. You’ve been cooking all week,’ Stiles protests.

‘You’ll just let it burn, because your daydreaming about our hot neighbour.’

‘So instead, you’re going to cook and let me daydream in peace?’ Stiles asks. Scott can be an amazing friend sometimes.

‘No, I’m making sure that I won’t have charcoal for dinner.’

Stiles sticks out his tongue to his friend, who is actually an asshole most of the time. He likes to think that’s why they bonded.

~

Definitely-his-neighbour keeps showing up, every day, with a new jar. Derek is not entirely sure what to make of it. He’s pretty sure Stiles (he introduced himself on the third day) is hitting on him, but Derek has misread signals before. By the end of the week, he thinks there is an eighty percent certainty that he’s being hit on. He’s also learned that Stiles loves Star Wars, is fan of the Mets, and he’s pretty sure the guy’s addicted to pickles. After a motivational pep talk from his sisters, he’s decided to ask him out.

He’s walking up the stairs of the apartment building, when he hears Stiles’ bright laugh. He turns around, determined to do it now, before he loses courage. Stiles walks through the front door, his arm linked with another guy’s. Of course Stiles has a boyfriend. And of course it’s someone who looks nothing like Derek. The guy is a little shorter than Stiles, with floppy hair and a friendly open face. He reminds Derek of a puppy.

He quickly turns around and starts walking again, hoping to reach the first landing before he’s seen by the two men.

‘Hey, Derek.’

Damn it. ‘Hey, Stiles,’ Derek says as he turns around. He prays that what’s on his face is a smile and not a grimace.

‘This is Scott, he’s-‘

‘Nice to meet you, Scott,’ Derek interrupts him. ‘Sorry, can’t talk right now. I have, uhm, stuff.’

Wow, smooth Hale, he thinks.

‘Oh, okay,’ Stiles says, looking a little disappointed. Probably wanted to show off his boyfriend. ‘See you around.’

‘Yep,’ Derek says and speed walks back to his apartment.

~

‘I think I should check on him. He didn’t really look okay. Did you think he looked okay? I’m probably just worried over nothing. He did look a little pale though. Maybe he’s sick. I could make him some soup. I make great soup.’

Stiles is pacing. He’s also rambling. He knows it, but he can’t seem to stop. Derek had seemed upset earlier and he wants nothing more than to wrap the guy in a blanket and feed him cookies until he smiles again.

‘Stiles, relax. He’s probably just had a long day,’ Scott tries to reassure him.

‘Yeah, you’re probably right. But it couldn’t hurt, right?’

‘Of course not. Just go,’ Scott says and pushes him out the door.

Stiles walks to Derek’s apartment, takes a deep breath and knocks. When the door opens, Stiles is certain that Derek is not okay. His hair looks like he’s dragged his fingers through it several times and there is an expression on his face that looks like impatience, or maybe anger.

‘What, no jar today?’ is the first thing out of Derek’s mouth.

‘No, uhm, you seemed upset earlier. So, I was wondering if you were okay?’ Stiles asked, hesitantly. The guy started to look seriously pissed off now.

‘I’m fine.’

‘Well, if you need anything-,’ Stiles begins.

‘I don’t,’ Derek says and starts to close the door. ‘Oh, and Stiles, please find someone else to open your jars.’

The door closes in Stiles’ stunned face. What the hell was that?

~

Derek knows he was rude. If his mother ever found out, she’d find out a way to keep him from eating desert for a week. The fact that he lives almost two-hundred miles away wouldn’t stop her. He’d still been upset when Stiles had knocked on his door. And he didn’t even have a jar. Instead, the guy had looked genuinely concerned for Derek. He had no business looking at Derek like that. Stiles should save those looks for his boyfriend.

He’s just about to grab the ice-cream when he hears the knock. It’s more a pound really. It sounds like someone is trying to break down his door. Perhaps it’s Stiles, come back to yell at him for being a dick.

It’s not Stiles.

‘What the hell did you say to him?’ a furious Scott asks him. Any resemblance to puppies is gone. The guy looks more like wolf and fully prepared to rip Derek’s throat out.

‘What-,’ Derek starts, a little shocked at the transformation.

‘It had better be good, because my best friend is sitting on our couch, like he’s in shock.’

Derek is not sure if he wants to cheer or slam his head against the doorframe.

‘You’re not his boyfriend?’

‘No,’ Scott says. And just like that all the anger leaves his face. The smile that replaces it can only be described as dopey.

‘Oh,’ is all Derek says. He’s not entirely sure what to do, because he has no idea what’s happening.

‘Were you jealous?’Scott asks and Derek’s cheeks are immediately on fire.

‘Oh my god, you totally were.’

Derek takes a step back. Maybe if he wishes hard enough, the ground will swallow him up.

‘Grab your keys. You’re coming with me,’ Scott orders and walks back to his and Stiles’ apartment.

~

Stiles burrows a little deeper into the couch when he hears Scott coming back. That was really fast. It usually takes a bit a longer for Scott to stop yelling someone. It doesn’t happen a lot, but when it does, it is terrifying. Stiles has never had that anger directed at him, but he’s seen it happen to other people. At first they’re stunned by how much Scott has changed, then they start looking for an escape. It would funny, if it wasn’t so scary.

He sits up when he hears Scott approaching the couch. That is not Scott. That is Derek. A very sheepish looking Derek.

‘Derek made a mistake and is going to explain it to you,’ Scott says from behind him.

‘What?’ he says, because there really is nothing else he could say. He thought Scott was angry, but when he turns around to look at him, his friend is beaming. There is actual light shining out of Scott’s face. That’s how pleased he looks.

He turns back to face Derek.

‘I’m sorry,’ Derek blurts out, ‘for being a dick.’

Stiles sits back, because he is getting really curious. Derek has started blushing and toying with his keys. It’s really distracting. So, Stiles plucks them from his hands and throws them on the coffee table.

‘Continue,’ he says.

‘I- I saw you guys come in together and I thought he was your boyfriend  and I got pissed because I thought you’d been flirting with me and I really wanted to ask you out and I really like you and I’m so sorry,’ Derek says. Well it’s not really saying, it’s more that the words run out of his mouth.

Stiles is a little stunned. He didn’t catch everything, but he’s pretty sure Derek said that he wanted to ask him out.

‘You wanted to ask me out?’ Stiles asks, slowly. Derek nods. He’s not looking at Stiles. Instead, he’s looking at where he’s fumbling with his fingers. That really has to stop. Those hands are too distracting.

‘Okay,’ he says, placing his hand on Derek’s. The man’s head shoots up so fast at that, Stiles is surprised it doesn’t fly off.

‘Really?’

‘Dude, I’ve been asking you to open a jar every day, just so I would have an excuse to talk to you. Also to see the way your muscles bulge a little, when you twist the lids of. But the talking was reason number one. You didn’t really think I ate that many pickles, did you?’

There is a small smile on Derek’s lips and Stiles can’t help but grin back. He tugs at Derek’s hands a little and the other man lets himself be manoeuvred onto the couch, next to Stiles. Determined to erase any doubts Derek might have, he clambers onto his lap.

‘This okay?’ Stiles asks.

Derek crashes their lips together. Not exactly the answer Stiles was going for, but he figures it’s a definite yes. He feels Derek’s hands grabbing his hips and tangles his own in the guy’s hair. Jesus, it’s soft.

‘I’ll just- leave,’ Scott’s voice comes from… somewhere. Stiles waves his hand. The front door clicks shut and they’re alone. He pulls back, leaning his forehead against Derek’s.

‘So, what do you wanna do?’

‘I don’t mind if we keep doing this.’

Stiles goes back in for another kiss. That sounds like a great plan to him.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


End file.
